Brazilian international Rodrygo ‘upset’ by his absence from Ballon d’Or list

Brazilian striker Rodrygo, European and Spanish champion last season with Real Madrid, said:upset” not to appear in the list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or, in an interview published Monday on the site Globoesporte.

«I was upset. I think that based on my season, I deserved to be on the list of 30 nominees. The others did not do badly, everyone who is (on the list) did a great job. But I think I deserved to be there.” said the 23-year-old.

After the list was announced on Wednesday, Rodrygo posted photos of highlights from his 2023-24 season on social media with emojis showing his surprise at not being named.

In the process, the young Brazilian received the support of his compatriot Neymar, for whom his performances placed him “at least in the top 5» of the Ballon d’Or ranking, the winner of which will be revealed on October 28.

A versatile player lined up in all positions in the Madrid attack by coach Carlo Ancelotti, Rodrygo has scored 17 goals and provided 9 assists in 51 matches with Real.

On Friday, he scored the goal in Brazil’s 1-0 victory over Ecuador in South America’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers. One of the big favourites for the Ballon d’Or is another Brazilian from Real Madrid, Vinicius, who notably scored in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.

Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, the Merengues’ new star recruit, also features in the list of 30 nominees for the individual award.We get to know each other better every day, to get along better on the pitch. My first impressions are very good, he’s a good guy and a crack, he has everything to help us a lot at Real” said Rodrygo about the captain of the French team.

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